I love a meatball. I really do and they are more versatile than you might think. You can make meatballs out of so many different types of ingredients and in different ways with various textures and flavours. This recipe is one that stands out from most of the meatballs I usually make. It’s just so delicious!
Rather than working with mince, this recipe does require a food processor to grind up boneless chicken thighs. If you don’t have a food processor, you could try it with a meat grinder attachment for a stand mixer. If neither of these is an option, I’d probably skip this one if I were you until you get a food processor.
How you choose to serve your meatballs is up to you. These little bites of heaven could easily stand on their own as hors d’ouevres at a party served simply with cocktail sticks. Alternatively they would work nicely on top of polenta or rice, but my favourite way to serve them is on top of pasta, specifically spaghetti or linguine for a modern take on traditional spaghetti & meatballs. However you choose to serve them, I hope you’ll enjoy the lemony soft meatballs as much as I do. They really are such a treat!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- 2x 400g tins of finely chopped tomatoes, blended with about 1/2 tin of water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 400g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
- 1 large egg yolk
- 100g ricotta cheese
- 100g fresh or frozen bread crumbs
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 50g Parmesan cheese
- Cooked pasta, polenta or rice to serve (optional)
Method
- In a large casserole or saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook gently, stirring occasionally until softened.
- Add the garlic and the chilli flakes if you’re using them and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the blended tomatoes along with the sugar. Stir to combine everything and bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low and popping the lid on. Continue to simmer while you make the meatballs.
- For the meatballs, add the chicken, egg yolk and ricotta to the bowl of a food processor. Whiz them up until they form a stiff paste.
- Tip the chicken mixture into a large bowl along with the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Mix with your hands until everything is well combined.
- Roll bits of the mixture into small meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball and place them on a plate.
- When all the meatballs are rolled up, remove the lid from the sauce, increase the heat to medium and gently start to drop the meatballs into the sauce, giving a gentle stir to help them get covered with sauce as needed. Patience is the name of the game here – we don’t want all the meatballs to fall apart before they’re cooked, so it’s all about being gentle. I promise it’s worth it!
- Once all the meatballs are in the sauce, once again reduce the heat to medium-low and pop on the lid. Leave the meatballs to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Check that they’re cooked through before serving and serve hot. Sprinkle with additional parsley and/or Parmesan cheese to serve if desired.
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